Plasma spray apparatus integrating water cleaning

Abstract

An integrated apparatus and method comprises a plasma gun with a water supply, treatment fluid supply, and controls, the combination of which is adapted for directing a plume onto a surface of a three-dimensional part to treat the surface; and for controlling injection of water into the plume with the plume directed onto an adjacent surface to clean debris and undesired material from the adjacent surface; and for subsequently directing the plume (without water) onto the adjacent surface to treat the adjacent surface. The apparatus and method are particularly useful in suspension plasma spray systems, but are not believed to be limited to that.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A plasma spray surface treatment apparatus comprising:
 a plasma gun constructed to generate a plume for treating a surface of a three-dimensional part;   a liquid supply including water;   a water line for transferring the water from the liquid supply into the plume;   a treatment fluid supply;   a treatment fluid line for transferring the treatment fluid from the treatment fluid supply into the plume; and   at least one control for controlling flow of the water and of the treatment fluid into the plume.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the treatment fluid includes a suspension. 
     
     
         3 . An integrated method of plasma surface treating process comprising:
 injecting water into a plume of a plasma gun and directing the plume onto a surface to clean debris and undesirable particles from the surface.   
     
     
         4 . The method defined in  claim 3 , including directing the plume with water onto a three-dimensional part to clean the surface, and thereafter treating the surface with the plume without the water. 
     
     
         5 . The method defined in  claim 3 , including treating a portion of the surface with the plume before injecting the water, and thereafter directing the plume with the injected water onto an adjacent portion of the surface to clean the adjacent surface. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the treatment fluid includes a suspension.